If you hear Mystic, CT and instantly think of a Julia Roberts movie from the 80’s, then you might be a Gen Xer.
Mystic offers so much to see and do! We rode bicycles and motorcycles. We kayaked. We strolled around the Mystic Seaport Museum, and Mystic Aquarium, walked around quaint downtown Mystic where we enjoyed authentic Mystic Pizza and even ventured to Abbotts for some fresh lobster.
Mystic Pizza
So where do we start??? With a viewing of Mystic Pizza, of course!
The weather started out a perfect 75 degrees getting just a little chilly towards evening. Ideal for cozying up for a rom-com based around three girls who work at Mystic Pizza.
By the way, Mystic Pizza isn’t some “hey, they had a movie called that, let’s take advantage and start a business.” The restaurant, started in 1973, was what inspired screen writer, Amy Jones, to base her story right here in Mystic.
But, of course, they aren’t going to miss out on all that great PR and Mystic Pizza expanded.
Just don’t go expecting to reenact your favorite scenes. The restaurant looks nothing like the movie set, which was actually filmed in a nearby home, NOT the actual restaurant. And yet, you find yourself enjoying the delicious pizza in the restaurant while the movie based in that restaurant plays on TVs throughout the restaurant. Kinda meta…
Mystic Bridge
The way into downtown Mystic is across the Mystic River Bascule Bridge. This bridge is designed with a counterweight system so it can be raised for river traffic to pass. We were able to watch the raising from both land and sea in our kayaks!
This isn’t our first moveable bridge. We were on the river boat in La Crosse, WI when we watched the large swing bridge across the Mississippi.
Mystic Food
Since Mystic is a famous seaport and home to the Charles Morgan whaling ship where crew would celebrate every 1000 barrels of whale oil with donuts, we continued with the tradition in our own way.
Of course, when you are in a seaport village, you get seafood. Even if seafood isn’t your preference… But make sure it’s local and not just a tourist trap. We rode our bikes out of the downtown area to find this very popular seafood “shack”. By all in our group who enjoyed the scallops, it was a hit.
While we are on the food tour, we also drove over to Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough in search of a great Lobster roll.
This place is definitely the place to go for lobster. If you want clams, you’ll need to head down to Costello’s.
The food was meh but the lobster tank did hold a nearly 10 lb lobster!
Mystic Seaport Museum
Come Sail Away with me to the Mystic Seaport Museum
We scoped out the Mystic Seaport Museum first by kayak before heading in on foot the next day.. This 19 acre open air museum is NOT to be missed. There’s something for everyone, sea lover and landlubber alike.
There are over 15 different boats and ships you can board and walk through, including the Charles Morgan. The Charles Morgan was built in 1841 and is the second oldest ship still afloat, beat out only by the USS Constitution built in 1797.
If whaling isn’t your thing, take a gander at one of the museum buildings featuring exhibits such as ship carvings and maritime stories of indigenous and African people. Don’t miss the working shipyard at the South end. You’ll get to see boats and ships in the process of being repaired and restored.
Or, if you are a hands-on type, the museum offers a ton of different learning programs. Everything from open hearth cooking and boat building workshops to learn to sail classes.
Mystic Aquarium
Our last, but by no means least, activity in Mystic was to visit the Mystic Aquarium.
The Beluga whales, definitely the main attraction, seem to have a lot of fun trying to “scare” the kids with funny faces and quick movements. The staff let us know, despite our efforts to get a similar reaction, that they don’t bother with adults.
The Belugas are a lot like our dogs. They know when it’s feeding time and keep poking their heads out to check on the feeders. “Hello! Where’s my lunch???”
The penguins were also waiting for feeding time. More like cats, than dogs though, penguins are pretty picky about what they want to eat. They’ll shake their heads no if the fish choice isn’t what they want today.
Many years ago, I swam with the dolphins. And I’ve been to at least a handful of aquariums where we got to touch the stingrays but feeding them was a first!
You hold the fishy sample of food in your hand like an ice cream cone and put your hand in the water. They’ll come up and suck the food right out of your hand! It’s such a weird feeling.
These comb jellyfish were pretty cool with their ability to put on a lightshow.
There were the usual suspects on display throughout the aquarium.
Book Recommendation:
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
A wonderful book about how a giant octopus has so much to teach us.
And who knew we’d come over 2500 miles to see California Sea Lions perform. Talk about food motivated!
Next up, a very short 30 mile drive to Narraganset, RI!
Foot note: We also stopped in Blairstown, NJ for a couple of days but I was so sick, I barely left the rig…